New expectations for Wushu Sanda from Nghe An province.

(Baonghean) - Alongside seasoned veterans, young athletes are also constantly striving to gradually assert their positions. Phan Van Nghia, a 16-year-old male Wushu Sanda athlete, is one of the outstanding names in the province's sports scene, having consistently won numerous gold medals at national youth championships.

Athlete Phan Van Nghia.

Phan Van Nghia was born in Hung Thang commune, Hung Nguyen district. Nghia comes from a family with a strong tradition in martial arts, as his father was a grassroots athlete who frequently participated in district and provincial-level sports competitions. Recognizing his son's agility and interest in martial arts, Mr. Phan Van Tinh took Nghia to meet Mr. Nguyen Van Hue, a coach at the Sports Training Center, to request an opportunity for him to try his hand at martial arts. After the tests, Nghia was selected to join the Provincial Sports Training Center, specializing in Wushu.

After a short period of training under the guidance of coaches, Nghia demonstrated exceptional professional qualities such as: quick grasp of techniques, good strength, great composure, and intelligence in competition. In early 2011, Nghia officially joined the provincial team. From then on, in addition to performing rigorous technical and physical training exercises, he was continuously sent to competitions to gain experience and hone his competitive spirit. In 2012, in his first appearance at the National Youth Wushu Championship held at Phu Tho Gymnasium (Ho Chi Minh City), Nghia caused a major surprise by eliminating a series of young athletes from strong Wushu centers such as Ho Chi Minh City, the Army, and Da Nang... to reach the final, only to be defeated by a young athlete from Hanoi.

Notably, at the 2014 National Youth Championships held in Lao Cai province, Nghia overcame his opponents and advanced straight to the finals. The home athlete from Lao Cai even declined to compete, knowing he couldn't win. Nghia was awarded the Gold Medal by the organizers without having to compete, bringing glory to the province's sports. With these achievements, Nghia was selected by the coaching staff to represent the province in the wushu team at the 7th National Sports Festival in 2014, held in Nam Dinh.

Nghia confided: "Because I didn't want to disappoint my father and my teachers, I worked hard to practice and learn about different striking techniques. For me, besides my own hard work, I am always grateful for the dedicated guidance and teaching of my teachers, which helped me grow and mature."

Speaking about the martial art he loves and pursues, Nghia shared: Sanda is a combat sport with a system of techniques including punching, kicking, grappling, handstands, footstands, and grappling. Although Sanda is considered a sport martial art in current sports competitions, its unique techniques and training methods make it incredibly effective in free-style combat and real-life fighting. According to Nghia, based on his experience, to succeed in the ring, one must be persistent and determined in training. Regarding Wushu, it's necessary to quickly grasp striking techniques and execute them skillfully and diversely in competition. In addition to technical skills, participating in competitions requires training exercises to maintain physical fitness and flexibility.

Wushu coach Nguyen Van Hue (Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center) said: Compared to his teammates, Nghia is an outstanding athlete in terms of physique. Besides that, Nghia is very diligent in training and eager to learn and accumulate experience from those who came before him, especially the coaches who have achieved high results in the past at the Center, so he is constantly improving and becoming a promising name in the provincial Wushu team. He has the potential to go further if he continues to diligently hone his skills in competition.

Pham Ngan